United We Serve

Welcome to the United We Serve "Stories of Service" blog! In this blog we’ll be featuring news, updates, and some of the remarkable stories of service we’ve been getting from Americans across the country are answering President Obama’s call to service. For our first post, we’re thrilled to highlight Major League Baseball’s grand slam effort in support of United We Serve at tonight’s All-Star Game.

The NFL Players Association and its players have joined President Barack Obama in his mission to build a stronger nation through the “United We Serve” initiative, a national effort designed to encourage more Americans to serve their communities.

Summer is a season of heightened hunger in America. As the school year ends and school nutrition programs end with it, many children lose an important source of food. Regular donations to local charities are also interrupted by travel and changed summer schedules. In 2009, economic troubles have made the challenges facing many families even greater.

Volunteering at the Chicago Christian Industrial League was the first time I have ever worked side-by-side with someone who was in need. As we worked together, she showed me more than how to size up men with proper amounts of chili. She also showed me the heart of CCIL.

Interfaith Partnership/Faith Beyond Walls works with congregations and faith communities to promote peace, understanding and respect among people of all faiths and within the greater Saint Louis metro area.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is all about individuals serving in whatever capacity they can - as Dr. King said, “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” Service doesn’t have to be formal and volunteering on Monday doesn’t necessarily have to be connected to an official MLK Day event. When you visit Serve.gov to find volunteer opportunities and other resources you will notice that there is a lot of language around “service projects.” So what exactly is a service project? A service project is your way of giving back to the community.

Monday is the Martin Luther King Day of Service – people across the country will come together to honor Dr King by serving in their communities. We want to hear from you and how you plan to serve - or you can check in next week and let us know how your service project went.